PORTRAITS 1990 - 1999
At age of three, I lost my hearing in both ears. Living the past 41 years as a deaf person I taught myself to become more aware of people's facial expressions, particularly their eyes. Since I rarely converse by voice, I navigate communication through visual analysis, hearing the world perceptively through the lens of my camera.
In the early 1990's, I had the opportunity to live in New York City, Boston and Paris. While moving around, I made it a point to document the extraordinary people. They were party-goers, celebrities, street people, artists as well as those on the fringe of society. I admired the individuality of the people I photographed.
In my travels, I seek out new cultures and locales to broaden the diversity of my subjects. I often find myself captivated by the unusual the unique, and avant-garde. My artistic sense of adventure leads me away from the ordinary to create an image to move others. My images are the evidence of my subjects for years for future reference.
As my photographic studies flourished while in secondary school and led me to pursue undergraduate work at Rochester Institute of Technology and Art Institute of Boston. I have won several awards in U.S. and had numerous exhibitions in U.S. and Ireland, including Photographer's Forum, American Society for Media Photographers and the RHA in Dublin. In 2009, I received an artist grant from the Arts Council of North Ireland and Republic of Ireland to assist in my ongoing portrait project and for an exhibition tour.
My greatest influences are the works of Diane Arbus, Paul Strand, August Sanders, Brassai, Mary Ellen Mark, Josef Koudelka and Richard Avedon. I have been fortunate to have been taught by professors who were in turn actually students, themselves, of these great image makers.
When I moved to Ireland in 2000, as a result of the different culture and lifestyle, my photographic approaches was temporarily met with more challenges than usual. Yet I gained a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. For my next project, I plan to photograph the constantly changing face and appearance of the Irish people since it will be so different in the years to come.
Of course, there is more to making a beautiful photograph than just the basis of surface beauty. It is the combination of the whole - composition, lighting, contrast, context, detail and expression. My portraits are direct and atypical. I avoid cropping my image and include the original film's rebate to show honest imagery in full-frame. This is the way I see through the viewfinder of my camera and when I press the shutter I am in constant eye contact with my subjects. My method of communicating shows in my final image. It is my bond with the subject which enables me to capture their essence and visually convey who and what they are. My most successful images are those in which the viewer becomes engaged with the subject. Achieving this connection is most gratifying to me.
Joseph-Philippe Bevillard
November 2008
In the early 1990's, I had the opportunity to live in New York City, Boston and Paris. While moving around, I made it a point to document the extraordinary people. They were party-goers, celebrities, street people, artists as well as those on the fringe of society. I admired the individuality of the people I photographed.
In my travels, I seek out new cultures and locales to broaden the diversity of my subjects. I often find myself captivated by the unusual the unique, and avant-garde. My artistic sense of adventure leads me away from the ordinary to create an image to move others. My images are the evidence of my subjects for years for future reference.
As my photographic studies flourished while in secondary school and led me to pursue undergraduate work at Rochester Institute of Technology and Art Institute of Boston. I have won several awards in U.S. and had numerous exhibitions in U.S. and Ireland, including Photographer's Forum, American Society for Media Photographers and the RHA in Dublin. In 2009, I received an artist grant from the Arts Council of North Ireland and Republic of Ireland to assist in my ongoing portrait project and for an exhibition tour.
My greatest influences are the works of Diane Arbus, Paul Strand, August Sanders, Brassai, Mary Ellen Mark, Josef Koudelka and Richard Avedon. I have been fortunate to have been taught by professors who were in turn actually students, themselves, of these great image makers.
When I moved to Ireland in 2000, as a result of the different culture and lifestyle, my photographic approaches was temporarily met with more challenges than usual. Yet I gained a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. For my next project, I plan to photograph the constantly changing face and appearance of the Irish people since it will be so different in the years to come.
Of course, there is more to making a beautiful photograph than just the basis of surface beauty. It is the combination of the whole - composition, lighting, contrast, context, detail and expression. My portraits are direct and atypical. I avoid cropping my image and include the original film's rebate to show honest imagery in full-frame. This is the way I see through the viewfinder of my camera and when I press the shutter I am in constant eye contact with my subjects. My method of communicating shows in my final image. It is my bond with the subject which enables me to capture their essence and visually convey who and what they are. My most successful images are those in which the viewer becomes engaged with the subject. Achieving this connection is most gratifying to me.
Joseph-Philippe Bevillard
November 2008

Barbara, Boston 1993

Elona and Frostbite, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1992

Latex Boots, Man Ray Nightclub, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1993

Lovers, Ganges, France 1991

Drag, 'Madonna', Boston, 1993

Melissa, Bill's Bar, Boston 1994

Matt and Lisa, Punkers, Kenmore Square, Boston, 1993

Smiling Drag, Boston, 1993

Superman, Boston 1992

Beaded Dress, Limelight Nightclub, NYC 1993

Couple at 70's Night,Boston 1993

Couple in Paris, 1991

Marie in Ladies Room, Man-Ray Nightclub, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1993

Olga, Limelight Nightclub, NYC 1993

Girl at Party, Boston 1993

Marie in Ladies Room, Man Ray Nightclub, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1993

Couple, Valence, France 1991

Flower Power, Boston 1992

College Party, Boston 1993

Melissa and Bar, Bill's Bar, Boston 1993

Eliza and Christophe, Bill's Bar, Boston 1994

Jackie, Transexual, Limelight Night Club, NYC 1993

Woman on Couch, Boston 1993

Woman at S&M Party, Boston 1993

Man on Bus, Boston 1992

Barbarella, Avalon Night Club, Boston 1993

Transvestites on Bench, Esplanade, Boston 1990

Tuxedo, Boston 1994
